into actual
insanity, and he had little doubt but that the younger man's brain
was slightly affected. But this did not account for the delusion and
expectations of the elder. Harry Custer, as the consul remembered him,
was a level-headed, practical miner, whose leaning to adventure and
excitement had not prevented him from being a cool speculator, and he
had amassed more than a competency by reason of his judicious foresight
and prompt action. Yet he was evidently under the glamour of this
madman, although outwardly as lazily self-contained as ever.

"Do you mean to tell me," said the consul in a suppressed voice, "that
you two have come here equipped only with a statement of facts and
a family Bible, and that you expect to take advantage of a feudal
enthusiasm which no longer exists--and perhaps never did exist out of
the pages of romance--as a means of claiming estates whose titles have
long since been settled by law, and can be claimed only under that
tenure? Surely I have misunderstood you. You cannot be in earnest."

"Honest Injun," said Custer, nodding his head lazily. "We mean it, but
not jest that way you've put it. F'r instance, it ain't only us two.
This yer thing, ole pard, we're runnin' as a syndicate."

"A syndicate?" echoed the consul.

"A syndicate," repeated Custer. "Half the boys that were at Eagle Camp
are in it, and two of Malcolm's neighbors from Kentucky--the regular
old Scotch breed like himself; for you know that MacCorkle County
was settled by them old Scotch Covenanters, and the folks are Scotch
Presbyterians to this day. And for the matter of that, the Eagle boys
that are in it are of Scotch descent, or a kind of blend, you know; in
fact, I'm half Scotch myself--or Irish," he added thoughtfully. "So
you see that settles your argument about any local opinion, for if them
Scots don't know their own people, who does?"

"May I ask," said the consul, with a desperate attempt to preserve his
composure, "what you are proposing to do?"

"Well," said Custer, settling himself comfortably back in his chair
again, "that depends. Do you remember the time that we jumped them
Mexican claims on the North Fork--the time them greasers wanted to take
in the whole river-bank because they'd found gold on one of the upper
bars? Seems to me we jest went peaceful-like over there one moonshiny
night, and took up THEIR stakes and set down OURS. Seems to me YOU were
one of the party."

"That was in our own countr